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Seven Legal Aid Centers to Open In Urumqi

October 27, 2005

The government of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region has approved the establishment of a legal aid center in the city of Urumqi and in each of the six counties that the city administers, according to an October 21 Urumqi Evening News report. All of the centers will begin operation by the end of 2005. To date, defendants in 574 criminal, 226 civil, and 16 notarization cases have received legal aid in Urumqi.

The government of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region has approved the establishment of a legal aid center in the city of Urumqi and in each of the six counties that the city administers, according to an October 21 Urumqi Evening News report. All of the centers will begin operation by the end of 2005. To date, defendants in 574 criminal, 226 civil, and 16 notarization cases have received legal aid in Urumqi.

The central government has supported the development of legal aid centers since the Ministry of Justice issued a notice in 1996 urging all provinces, autonomous regions, and directly administered municipalities to establish legal aid facilities. By June 2005, about 3,081 legal aid centers were operating in cities and counties throughout China, according to an August 7 report on ChinaNews.com, a Web site sponsored by the China News Service, a Chinese government-run wire service. Government funding for legal aid centers has increased annually since 1999, reaching 217.12 million yuan in 2004, according to the ChinaNews.com report. In 2005, the central government earmarked 50 million yuan in new funding to support legal aid work in China's 592 poorest counties.